Description of the Consortium

Acquiring good surgical skills during ob-gyn residency training has always been of paramount importance.  Increasing emphasis on patient safety and risk management concerns have presented convincing arguments including strategies for insuring that residents develop a solid foundation in basic surgical techniques, hand-to-eye coordination, practice through repetitive skills exercises, and demonstration of skill competencies, before participating in actual surgical skills and procedures in the hospital operating theaters.  The development of surgical procedure simulators has accelerated in recent years.  Highly sophisticated, and computer-driven, devices have provided encouragement toward the actualization of those strategies.

In 2008, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists formed a Consortium of state-of-the-art surgical simulation centers, with the goal of providing access to standardized and validated surgical curricula that simulate Ob and Gyn surgical procedures.  The Consortium now has 21 centers geographically located across the United States.